Neuroscience Requirements

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Please visit the student handbook for our primary and secondary concentration requirements.

Neuro offers three tracks to explore the brain:

Neuroscience participates in Joint Concentrations. Full requirements can be viewed in the student handbook.

• All joint concentrators must have a coherent, integrated thesis project that combines research in neuroscience and research in their joint field into a singular research question.
• Students should have found a lab and formed a plan for their research by the start of junior spring semester (see research page for details on thesis forms)

There are two types of honors for undergraduates: Latin honors † (summa, magna, cum laude) are determined by the College, while English honors (highest honors, high honors, honors) are determined by departments.

Calculation for English Honors

To be eligible for Honors and High Honors in Neuroscience (English Honors), students need to complete at least one semester (4 credits) of independent research during term time. This can be accomplished by taking either Neuro 91 or LS100/MCB100.

To be eligible for Highest Honors in Neuroscience, students need to complete an independent, research-based thesis.

English Honors are determined by the Neuroscience Standing Committee and are influenced by several parameters: concentration GPA, rigor of completed courses, individual factors (e.g., academic improvement over four years), as well as the quality and commitment of a student’s research work.

The concentration GPA is calculated from courses that fulfill concentration requirements. In cases where students have taken supernumerary courses to fulfill a particular requirement, we will take your highest grade(s). Cutoffs change from year to year, but we will aim to award 15% of the graduating class Highest Honors, 25% High Honors, and 25% Honors. At all levels, the GPA cutoffs are reduced if a student completes a thesis.

For the class of 2025 and beyond:

• Any student who receives a Summa grade on their thesis will be bumped up one Honors level.
• Any student who completes a satisfactory thesis (Summa, Magna, or Cum grade) will get 0.05 points added to their concentration GPA, which is the roughly the equivalent of two A courses grades for a student with 12 courses and a GPA of 3.67.

Highest Honors (thesis required): students in the the top 15% of concentration GPAs and a magna or higher grade on the thesis.
High Honors (one semester of research required): students in the top 40% of concentration GPAs.
Honors (one semester of research required): students in the top 65% of concentration GPAs.

† English Honors are a pre-condition for Summa, Magna and Cum Laude in Field Latin Honors, but Latin Honors are based on the entirety of the student record. Only Latin Honors appears on the diploma. Students who do not receive English Honors may still be eligible for Cum Laude Latin Honors, depending on GPA (typically requires ~ 3.8 GPA). For more details on Latin Honors, please review the Handbook for Students. You can view the most recent Latin Honors cutoffs here.